01 F550 - crank no start unless plugged in.

kevin41 · November 18, 2009

Customer claims that the vehilce will only start if plugged in no matter what the temp is - I have verified that it will not start now - engine is full of oil - there is one CMDTC P0640 - intake manifold air heater ckt fault - ICP - RPM - IPR - Fuel PW -all look good - fuel looks good - glow plug relay is working and 7 of the 8 glow plugs ohm out good - 50 degrees here today - any ideas would be greatly appreciated

Bruce Amacker · November 18, 2009

1. Verify glow plug amperage- it should be 190ish as soon as the key is turned on, tapering off to 120 after 20-30 seconds. If it reads above 120 initially you have some problems but it isn't causing your hard start. GPA is usually under 80 before customers complain about hard starting.

2. Don't worry about the intake heater, it isn't used for starting the truck.

3. Fill the FF with Stanadyne Performance Formula and see if it starts better.

If the glow plugs check out, it's either bad fuel or bad injectors. It's common for injector tips to degrade where they don't atomize the fuel properly, causing cold start problems.

Good Luck!

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kevin41 · November 19, 2009

Thanks for your help

Mikill · November 19, 2009

Sounds like the classic stiction concern to me.

Aaron · November 19, 2009

Probably had the lube changed last in 2003.

rayhubble · December 14, 2009

hey i got one with same problem what did you find

Bruce Amacker · December 14, 2009

PS Don't forget cranking speed- 150 minimum cold.

Good Luck!

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blown99 · December 24, 2009

Try doing an injector buzz test when the engine is cold. I see this problem a lot in the IH chassis when the hrs exceed 5,000. The links in the injectors get worn, the thicker cold oil prevents the injector solenoid from moving the link to fire the injector. I usually replace all the injectors when I have this issue, but at minimum, the injectors that do not buzz or are very faint must be replaced. You could also remove the solenoids from the injector bodies in chassis and lap the metal intermediate plate that is located under the injector solenoid. This will tighten up the clearance between the solenoid and the injector link and allow the injector to fire and buzz like new. International was offereing an I tool loan program for this problem but stopped it for what ever reason.

Alex Bruene · December 24, 2009

When I have that concern, I like to run the buzz test over, and over, and over, and over (you know where I'm going) again. Normally you will hear the buzz get louder and louder as the injectors warm up, and after about a dozen or so buzz tests the engine will start. Then I go through the fun of trying to sell a set of injectors at the ridiculous price they are right now.